My DreamHost review found a great hosting provider for experienced website owners though a higher price compared to alternatives
For website owners that will use the extra features, DreamHost website hosting is a strong competitor to some of the other hosting providers we’ve reviewed. No other webhost provides the range of ‘unlimited’ features on its hosting packages.
Most new bloggers or websites might not need these extra features though and may prefer a cheaper option for web hosting. DreamHost does provides an un-heard of 97-day refund policy which makes it easy to try out the services to see if the additional features are worth the price.
My DreamHost review went smoothly over the two weeks I tried the services and the feedback I got from other DreamHost users. It is a solid website hosting provider for more experienced site owners though price-conscious newbies will want to check out our list of best web hosting providers for the price.
Try DreamHost for 97-days risk free – Click for this special offer and get started
DreamHost Shared Website Hosting Provider
DreamHost is the only WordPress shared hosting provider I’ve seen to offer unlimited storage, domains, email and monthly data transfers even on its basic plans. This is a huge plus for more advanced website owners and helps get over the higher price on hosting.
Most other website hosting companies only provide some of these unlimited services on the higher-level packages and few offer unlimited domains or monthly data transfers at any price.
Once you sign up for a DreamHost hosting plan, the control panel is easy to use. There is no website builder which really wasn’t an issue for me since I have all my sites made in WordPress anyway.
DreamHost does offer a simple, one-click install for WordPress, making getting your site going fairly easy. Once in WordPress, you’ll simply install a theme and start working…or do what I do and just hire a cheap developer to get you started.
The hosting provider starts you off with some free WordPress themes and plugins as well as all the unlimited features mentioned above.
DreamHost customer service is managed through email, ticket-based support on the platform and through online chat. It will do the trick for 99.9% of problems but sometimes it’s nice just to talk to someone directly, which doesn’t seem to be available. It’s a big hit against the webhost provider and well off the industry-leading customer service provided at GoDaddy.
I was able to get on chat support multiple times without waiting more than a minute. The DreamHost customer rep was knowledgeable and able to guide me through several questions.
I asked another blogger that uses DreamHost to share her experience with the webhost’s reliability. She uses uptimerobot.com to automatically monitor her site every five minutes. It basically pings your site to make sure it’s working right.
She reported only one instance where the site was down over the last three months and then only for eight minutes late at night. It’s right up there with the best site reliability I’ve seen in other website hosting reviews.
DreamHost VPS and Dedicated Hosting
DreamHost offers Linux-based virtual private server plans (VPS) for larger websites and businesses that need more security or higher traffic. The packages start at $15 per month though you only get 300 MB of RAM at this level. You do get unlimited email, storage and monthly data transfers and higher RAM is available for a little more per month.
Dedicated server plans start at $169 per month, a little more than other hosting providers but you get 1 TB of storage and unlimited data transfers. DreamHost doesn’t offer Windows-based dedicated servers which will be a non-issue for those familiar with Linux.
You get anti-spam software on DreamHost email but no malware protection. You will also need to set up your own SSL certificates for websites. There are a few other security features you get with DreamHost but you will need some developer skills to manage them. It’s another reason why I only recommend DreamHost to more experienced website owners or those with help.
DreamHost Price Comparison
DreamHost doesn’t have a no-frills package for shared WordPress hosting with its cheapest plan starting at $7.95 per month. It also only offers two plans with the managed WordPress hosting plan at $16.95 per month.
That’s quite a bit higher than other options like GoDaddy (which is running a $1 per month special right now) but you do get some extras for the price.
A lot of the additional price is a ‘get what you pay for’ kind of deal. DreamHost offers extra features like multiple WordPress sites and domains as well as much larger storage compared to other hosting providers. For those that will use the extra services, it’s a good deal.
For newbie bloggers or those looking for more basic services for a lower price, check out the rest of these WordPress Hosting sites for bloggers.
What I Liked About DreamHost Website Hosting
DreamHost is a strong contender for experienced website owners that will be able to use its extra features on the hosting plans. Newbies will probably want to go with a more basic (and cheaper) provider like Bluehost. For those 
with larger websites or that don’t need a site-builder, you’ll like the quality you get from DreamHost’s managed hosting and some of the other features.
- Unlimited email accounts even on basic website hosting plans
- Managed WordPress hosting includes auto-updates and extra security
- Easy-to-use online shopping cart software makes it easy to sell
- $100 AdWords credit even on basic shared hosting plans
DreamHost Complaints
DreamHost will fill the need for many website owners but isn’t my first choice for new bloggers. There are some great features in its hosting services but not as much basic starters for the newbie. DreamHost price per month starts about twice as high as other shared hosting providers. While it offers extra features for the price, many new bloggers just want the basic stuff to get online for the right price.
- Price is higher than most basic WordPress hosting services
- No support available by phone, only chat and email
- No Windows-based servers
Try DreamHost for 97-days risk free! Click to get your website started today.
DreamHost does offer a 97-day full refund guarantee which is unheard of in web hosting. It makes it a lot easier to try out their extra features to see if it’s worth the extra price. The $100 AdWords credit does help to defer the higher cost since you won’t get it on some of the cheaper WordPress hosting services. I would recommend DreamHost for more experienced website owners that need the extra features instead of just a more basic option.